Barca announce bizarre shirt sponsorship deal

Lionel Messi and Xavi will have Intel logos branded on the inside of their shirts

Barcelona have agreed a unique sponsorship deal with Intel in which the chipmaker's logo will be printed on the inside of players' shirts.

The idea behind the unusual positioning of the ‘Intel Inside’ logo is that it will be revealed when a player lifts his shirt to celebrate scoring a goal, Barca officials said.

Club director Manel Arroyo said players, including the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Andres Iniesta, would be under no obligation to display the logo, which will be added to the shirts for the first time in Saturday's La Liga match at home to Villarreal.

Arroyo declined to reveal how much the deal - which runs for four and a half years and includes an option for an extension - was worth.

As part of their first foray into soccer sponsorship, Intel will also provide technology to players and coaching staff as well as the recruits at Barca's academy.

Deborah Conrad, Intel's chief marketing officer, said the decision to partner with Barca had been taken after a search for suitable "passion points" that the company hoped to tap into to help connect them with consumers.

"We did not want to put the players under any obligation to show the logo a specific number of times but we do know that such goal celebrations are a big part of the culture of the sport," she said.

Barca's main sponsors include sporting goods manufacturer Nike, carmaker Audi, and the airline Qatar Airways, whose logo will remain on the outside of the players' shirts.